Ete Dans Paris; Summer In Amsterdam
Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.
Son David, at the onset of summer, decamped with Andrew on a trip to Paris and Amsterdam, with a day in Brussels to visit an aunt.
So excellent coffee was a staple of the diet. One fine morning, the lads were enjoying pannkoeken at the local waffelhuis, and had two telling observations. One was that the place did not conform to any Baptist Waffle House found in the Southeast; two was that in no way could they afford the excursion.
Even the treasures of the Louvre and D'Orsay did not, with wine and chocolates thrown in for good measure, could not justify the financial excess. The less said about Amsterdam's Red Light district, the better.
But, the trip was reasonable considering what it takes to go to Disney World - or even to Myrtle Beach.
And, we had raised him to explore the world, to learn about other customs and cultures. So he swallowed hard, and spent several harrowing hours on a plane.
The lesson is clear - at least to me - you owe yourself some 'me" time. Take it. Take it now. Take it where you want to go.
Your employer already has your other time